Updated
Updated · The Nevada Independent · Jun 9
Nevada Secretary of State Leaks 65,000 Primary Votes Before 7 p.m. Poll Closing
Updated
Updated · The Nevada Independent · Jun 9

Nevada Secretary of State Leaks 65,000 Primary Votes Before 7 p.m. Poll Closing

3 articles · Updated · The Nevada Independent · Jun 9

Summary

  • About 65,000 votes from several rural counties and Washoe County were mistakenly sent to a Nevada Independent server around 4 p.m., roughly three hours before Nevada polls were set to close.
  • The secretary of state's office said partial results from nine counties were uploaded to a secure testing environment, inadvertently giving press access for less than an hour before the files were removed around 5:15 p.m.
  • Nevada law bars releasing election results until all voters in line by 7 p.m. have cast ballots; early-vote disclosures can be charged as a gross misdemeanor, and mail-ballot disclosures as a misdemeanor.
  • The Nevada Independent said it did not publish the data and contacted the office after receiving the files; the office said it informed the governor and attorney general and is reviewing its security procedures.

Insights

If human error is inevitable, what technology can secure Nevada's future election results from being released early?
As data centers strain Nevada's grid, how will officials balance tech growth with voter concerns over resources?